Trivia & Tidbits Thursday - Plastic?

I need to blog about the "grocery shopping experience" here in Gabs. That is a topic all to itself. Perhaps I'll have that one ready for next week's post. I have to remember to take my camera to the grocery store - so you can 'see' what I'm talking about.

For this post, I just want to tell you about 'plastic'. I'm not talking about a credit card, forks and spoons, or containers. The plastic I'm referring to are the plastic grocery bags. When shopping here at a department store, clothing store, shoe store, pharmacy, etc., the plastic bag is included at no charge. However, when grocery shopping, you are charged for each 'plastic', as they are called. The 'plastic' comes in a couple of sizes, depending on how much merchandise you have. The clerk decides which size you need. They're good about choosing an appropriate size. There's one other store, besides the grocery stores, that charges for the 'plastic', and that is Game City (our version of Walmart).

Here's how it works at the check-out (called a 'till'). You place your groceries on the counter. (Sidenote: There are no 'conveyor belt' check-outs here. Only a counter top. You just keep sliding your items toward the clerk. Oh - and all the clerks that I've seen here sit in a chair...which is why you slide your items towards them. No standing here for hours for the clerks! Makes sense to me.) As the clerk begins to scan your merchandise she asks you, "Plastic?" (The first time I was asked this, I thought I was being asked if I was going to use my credit card!!!! Thankfully, my husband was with me to 'translate'.) You either answer, "Yes", and indicate how many bags. Or, you answer, "No." Some people just have the groceries stacked back in the cart, or they provide their own bags. Keep reading.

How much do these plastic bags cost? Not much at all -- usually about 25 thebe (pronounced TEH-bee) or less. That equates to about 4 US cents per plastic bag. No, they don't cost much - but think about how much money you spend on just plastic bags over a period of time. It adds up.

So, to be a better steward of our finances, and to minimize the amount of trash we produce, it is common practice to use canvas bags for your shopping. I have about 10 of them in my car - and load them up when I do my grocery shopping. The canvas bags cost the equivalent of about $1.00-$2.00 each. I've already used the bags more than enough to recoup my investment. AND, I'll bring them home with me and use them in the States after our time here is done.

See you here next week!